Be wise

17 Brothers and sisters, I urge you to watch out for people who create divisions and problems against the teaching that you learned. Keep away from them. 18 People like that aren’t serving the Lord. They are serving their own feelings. They deceive the hearts of innocent people with smooth talk and flattery. 19 The news of your obedience has reached everybody, so I’m happy for you. But I want you to be wise about what’s good, and innocent about what’s evil. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (Romans 16:17-20, CEB)

Be on watch for people who will cause problems against the teachings you have learned. This in and of itself is a lifetime task.

Some of the things we were taught were not what we should have been taught. So when we see new information that is proven factual and is against what we were taught, then we must change to the new understanding. This is a hard thing for all of us. We do not want to believe what we learned was a lie. And honestly it wasn’t. We learned what we thought was right based on what we knew, and now we know better so we need to to better.

Stay grounded in the faith and use the mind God gave you to discern what God’s will is and do that.

Love People. Love God.

Lies

8 Stephen, who stood out among the believers for the way God’s grace was at work in his life and for his exceptional endowment with divine power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Opposition arose from some who belonged to the so-called Synagogue of Former Slaves. Members from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and Asia entered into debate with Stephen. 10 However, they couldn’t resist the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke. 11 Then they secretly enticed some people to claim, “We heard him insult Moses and God.” 12 They stirred up the people, the elders, and the legal experts. They caught Stephen, dragged him away, and brought him before the Jerusalem Council. 13 Before the council, they presented false witnesses who testified, “This man never stops speaking against this holy place and the Law. 14 In fact, we heard him say that this man Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and alter the customary practices Moses gave us.” 15 Everyone seated in the council stared at Stephen, and they saw that his face was radiant, just like an angel’s. (Acts 6:8-15, CEB)

Have you ever heard stories people tell about you behind your back?

Sometimes they are so far fetched you wonder how anyone can believe them. But they do.

When we are doing what God has called us to, some will not like it and will spread stories about us that are just out right lies. And what do we do?

We stand before those who accuse us and we hold our ground because that is what God called us to do. We are given a love to share and when we share it others will not like it and slander will happen. But we must stand tall and know that God is always with us.

Love People. Love God.

Really?

35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But I told you that you have seen me and still don’t believe. 37 Everyone whom the Father gives to me will come to me, and I won’t send away anyone who comes to me. 38 I have come down from heaven not to do my will, but the will of him who sent me. 39 This is the will of the one who sent me, that I won’t lose anything he has given me, but I will raise it up at the last day. 40 This is my Father’s will: that all who see the Son and believe in him will have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:35-40, CEB)

Does this really mean that if you believe in Jesus and come to him you will never be hungry or thirsty?

If so then I have to say that I have not come to Jesus, because I still get hungry and I still get thirsty.

I want to say that this means we will really have what we need, which still begs the question of why are people starving and going hungry if this is the case? We have what we need, and more sometimes and we don’t share it, so we are not doing the will of God.

We need to be fully into who God is and how God wants us to move in the world. We need to give up our privilege and love like God.

Love People. Love God.

grow

14 Therefore, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found by him in peace—pure and faultless. 15 Consider the patience of our Lord to be salvation, just as our dear friend and brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given to him, 16 speaking of these things in all his letters. Some of his remarks are hard to understand, and people who are ignorant and whose faith is weak twist them to their own destruction, just as they do the other scriptures. 17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been warned in advance, be on guard so that you aren’t led off course into the error of sinful people, and lose your own safe position. 18 Instead, grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. To him belongs glory now and forever. Amen. (2 Peter 3:14-18, CEB)

grow in grace. Do not be led astray by sinful people.

We just need to wait on and in the Lord and allow God to help us grow in grace to the maturity the Lord has for us.

Be a beacon for the world.

Bring Christ glory.

Love People. Love God.

LOL

Therefore, imitate God like dearly loved children. 2 Live your life with love, following the example of Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us. He was a sacrificial offering that smelled sweet to God. 3 Sexual immorality, and any kind of impurity or greed, shouldn’t even be mentioned among you, which is right for holy persons. 4 Obscene language, silly talk, or vulgar jokes aren’t acceptable for believers. Instead, there should be thanksgiving. 5 Because you know for sure that persons who are sexually immoral, impure, or greedy—which happens when things become gods—those persons won’t inherit the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Nobody should deceive you with stupid ideas. God’s anger comes down on those who are disobedient because of this kind of thing. 7 So you shouldn’t have anything to do with them. 8 You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord, so live your life as children of light. 9 Light produces fruit that consists of every sort of goodness, justice, and truth. 10 Therefore, test everything to see what’s pleasing to the Lord, 11 and don’t participate in the unfruitful actions of darkness. Instead, you should reveal the truth about them. 12 It’s embarrassing to even talk about what certain persons do in secret. 13 But everything exposed to the light is revealed by the light. 14 Everything that is revealed by the light is light. Therefore, it says, Wake up, sleeper! Get up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. (Ephesians 5:1-14, CEB)

I know, why did I title this LOL. Don’t you know that means Laugh out loud? Yes I do and naming this devotional that made me think of the meme of text messages from parents. There was one were a daughter got a message from her mother that said your aunt passed away. LOL. and the daughter responded mom why did you put LOL? and the mom replied it means Lots of Love I thought…

Well I propose that LOL be Love Out Loud. As followers of Christ, it is our duty to love the world.

We need to live our lives in such a way that love is what the world sees.

How can we shine a light in the darkness and show the world God’s love?

We need to Love Out Loud!

Love People. Love God.

drawn

35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 41 The Jewish opposition grumbled about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They asked, “Isn’t this Jesus, Joseph’s son, whose mother and father we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus responded, “Don’t grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless they are drawn to me by the Father who sent me, and I will raise them up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, And they will all be taught by God. Everyone who has listened to the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God. He has seen the Father. 47 I assure you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that whoever eats from it will never die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever, and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” (John 6:35, 41-51, CEB)

Whoever comes to me does so because the Father has drawn them to me.

Reminds me of Martin Luther’s explanation of the third article of the Apostles’ Creed. This is my paraphrase, “I can not by my own will or understanding believe in God except through the leading of the Holy Spirit.” I can not believe in God unless God moves me to believe in God. The above reading says, I can not come to Jesus (God) unless made to do so by God (the Father).

God gives us the ability to believe in God.

So how do you believe in God?

How do those around you believe in God?

How do you share God with the world?

Love People. Love God.

Ask ~ receive

7 “Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Whoever seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door is opened. 9 Who among you will give your children a stone when they ask for bread? 10 Or give them a snake when they ask for fish? 11 If you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him. (Matthew 7:7-11, CEB)

I have an issue with this verse. If you only read verses 7 and 8 then if you ask for it, look for it or knock on it, you will get it, find and it will open. And this could lead to all kinds of issues. Even good things we think we want or need and we ask for it, then we get it, and that may not be the best thing for our lives.

I love the song Unanswered Prayer by Garth Brooks. Because it is just the opposite of this verse. The other place this is in the Bible it says if it is in the will of God, then you will get it. And that is what the songs says. I asked for her to be my wife, but God knew better. Now this doesn’t mean that everything is planned out. But we don’t always know what is best for us.

But the redeeming part of this lectionary reading for me is verse 11, because we know how to give good things to our children, and God will give good things to us. So some of the things we ask for, or look for or knock on are not good for us, and even though we want them, they will not benefit us, so God doesn’t give us it.

So know you won’t get everything you ask for, look for, or opened when you knock. But God will give you good things.

Give them to the world and know that God will refill your cup.

Love People. Love God.

others

Brothers and sisters, if a person is caught doing something wrong, you who are spiritual should restore someone like this with a spirit of gentleness. Watch out for yourselves so you won’t be tempted too. 2 Carry each other’s burdens and so you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks they are important when they aren’t, they’re fooling themselves. 4 Each person should test their own work and be happy with doing a good job and not compare themselves with others. 5 Each person will have to carry their own load. 6 Those who are taught the word should share all good things with their teacher. 7 Make no mistake, God is not mocked. A person will harvest what they plant. 8 Those who plant only for their own benefit will harvest devastation from their selfishness, but those who plant for the benefit of the Spirit will harvest eternal life from the Spirit. 9 Let’s not get tired of doing good, because in time we’ll have a harvest if we don’t give up. 10 So then, let’s work for the good of all whenever we have an opportunity, and especially for those in the household of faith. (Galatians 6:1-10, CEB)

This seems to be a change to me from what I know Christianity to be. The first verse is, “If someone is caught doing something wrong, they should be restored by the community.” I see the Christian community saying they are damned to hell and should repent and fix themselves before they come back. But No! It is the communities responsibility to lift up the broken and to help them be a full member of the community. It isn’t about having everything together before you join, it is about knowing what you can do and doing it, and not comparing yourself to others.

You are supposed to lift up the low. You are supposed to help your neighbors.

You are supposed to be a guide and a friend along the journey.

Do what you are gifted to do without seeing yourself as a lesser part of the community.

Share God’s love and be a beacon of hope for the world.

Love People. Love God.

patient

We who are powerful need to be patient with the weakness of those who don’t have power, and not please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please our neighbors for their good in order to build them up. 3 Christ didn’t please himself, but, as it is written, The insults of those who insulted you fell on me. 4 Whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction so that we could have hope through endurance and through the encouragement of the scriptures. 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude toward each other, similar to Christ Jesus’ attitude. 6 That way you can glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ together with one voice. (Romans 15:1-6, CEB)

We should be doing things to please our neighbors and build them up, rather than what pleases us and builds us up.

Our faith is not a private faith, we were called to follow Jesus, to pick up our cross and follow him. This is a following that leads us to serve the most vulnerable people in society and to live for them.

We are to show everyone the love of God and make sure they know they are loved by God.

God will give you the strength and endurance to run the race and share the grace.

Love People. Love God.

Hungry

In those days there was another large crowd with nothing to eat. Jesus called his disciples and told them, 2 “I feel sorry for the crowd because they have been with me for three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them away hungry to their homes, they won’t have enough strength to travel, for some have come a long distance.” 4 His disciples responded, “How can anyone get enough food in this wilderness to satisfy these people?” 5 Jesus asked, “How much bread do you have?” They said, “Seven loaves.” 6 He told the crowd to sit on the ground. He took the seven loaves, gave thanks, broke them apart, and gave them to his disciples to distribute; and they gave the bread to the crowd. 7 They also had a few fish. He said a blessing over them, then gave them to the disciples to hand out also. 8 They ate until they were full. They collected seven baskets full of leftovers. 9 This was a crowd of about four thousand people! Jesus sent them away, 10 then got into a boat with his disciples and went over to the region of Dalmanutha. (Mark 8:1-10, CEB)

These people need food. But where will we get enough for all of them?

Well what do we have?

Have you ever wondered how the resources you have would be enough to do what you are called to do?

I know as a person who God has called into ministry I have often wondered exactly what God was/is thinking with having me as a pastor. I know where I have been, what I have done and how unworthy I am to be a part of the body of Christ, let alone a pastor. And yet, God has called me to be a part of the body of Christ and a pastor.

We sometimes can’t see the answers because we see the problems. Our focus doesn’t allow s to see what is right there.

So have faith. And know that God is able to do through you things you can not fathom.

Love People. Love God.